With less than a week to go until the state of California votes on the
paycheck protection ballot initiaitve Proposition 226, accusations about
the proposition were flying hot and heavy from Proposition 226 opponents.
While supporters insist Proposition 226 will simply protect workers' wages
from being spent on politics without their permission, critics - organized
labor in particular - falsely claim the proposal will hurt everything from
public safety to donations to charity.

Californians are also receiving telephone calls from people asserting
that Proposition 226 will endanger police officers. The callers claim the
initiative will give public access to employee records, allowing revenge-seeking
criminals to find officers' home addresses. Three California laws, however,
specifically protect the release of personal information of law enforcement
officials.

An interesting aspect of these calls is that callers said they were calling
from phone banks in Florida, Nebraska and Oklahoma. A chief allegation of
Proposition 226 opponents is that supporters are relying on out-of-state
assistance.

Financial disclosure reports submitted to the California Secretary of
State's office by the campaigns both for and against Proposition 226 show
opponents of the paycheck protection ballot initiative have outspent supporters
by a margin of more than 9 to 1.

Much of the money paying for the opposition campaign came from the political
accounts of labor unions at the state and national level - some even coming
from special dues assessments earmarked specifically for the campaign.

Polls show that the anti-Proposition 266 campaign has gained ground in
recent weeks, cutting (according to a Los Angeles Times Poll released on
May 23) Proposition 226's lead in the polls to 14 points. The poll found
Proposition 226 leading by 51% to 37%.

Meanwhile, Congressional leaders in Washington were holding back on an
anticipated debate and vote on campaign reform in the U.S. House of Representatives,
preferring to see how Proposition 226 fared with California voters before
undertaking campaign reform votes of their own.